Welcome back to Garden Friday,
where we share what's going on in our
Zone 7b Piedmont homestead garden.
Between nursing my injured back
and some technical difficulties,
it's been a while since I've checked in.
Fall is in full swing,
as the colors and temperatures are showing us.
As I write this, it's 30 degrees outside.
This picture was taken at a nearby park,
where sister and I enjoyed a long hike
before the frosty mornings hit.
The mums in the front porch bed make it known
that autumn is indeed here to stay.
These are paired with a purple version,
and are spilling over onto the walkway.
This goldenrod recently came up in our yard,
right over the septic tank area.
It's a bright pop of color in a sea of oregano
that had been planted there by someone else.
Some surprises are a good thing.
This clematis had been moved from
the back of the house, which was much too shady,
to the fencing around the chicken run.
It finally decided to grace us with a bloom!
Garlic was planted in one of our 3X8 beds
last week.
I bought garlic seed from Sow True Seed this year,
as the last two years,
our heads have been on the small side.
We had enough to fill the entire bed,
with a handful of smaller cloves leftover.
This harvest is always shared with sister.
The leftovers were added to a flower bed as a border.
Placing some welded wire stakes across the top of the bed
should deter the squirrels from digging in the soil.
This bed has drip irrigation, which we are still able to use through the colder months.
Cover crops were also sown in a couple of beds
and germinated within 3 days!
The sweet potato harvest was a bit disappointing.
We got about eight and a half pounds.
The foliage was not as abundant as in past years,
so I wasn't that surprised.
I'm thinking maybe I didn't water enough.
They are curing in our coat closet for a few weeks.
Then they will be ready for eating!
One of the pots of turmeric had cracked open,
so I replanted it in a bigger pot.
I will do the rest in the spring,
as they are all in need of repotting.
For now, they will spend the winter in the garage,
along with the aloe vera.
A few of the tubers were removed for use.
It can be used as a tea, or grated right into any dish.
Turmeric is one of the best things to aid with inflammation.
Poor Wilma.
She is molting something fierce,
and with this cold snap,
I pray that she will be okay.
Several of the chooks have already gone through
the molting process, so our egg production
has gone down just a bit.
They are enjoying their greens and cabbage every week.
Sometimes I think I need to grow these things just for them.
They are worth any trouble it might be.
How are things in your fall garden?
